What you need to know
Former Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs pitcher Yoervis Medina has died. He was 37 years old.
According to local broadcaster Radio America, authorities were alerted to a report of a traffic accident near the Via Veneto shopping center in Carabobo, Venezuela, on Friday night, October 30th.
The newspaper said Medina suffered a heart attack while driving and crashed into another vehicle parked at a shopping center. Upon arrival, authorities found the “civilian” had no signs of life.
On October 31, Medina’s former team, the Everett AquaSox, confirmed his death. “Sad news from Venezuela. Former AquaSox pitcher Yoavis Medina (2010) has passed away at the age of 37,” the team wrote in a statement to X. “He pitched in the major leagues from 2013 to 2015. Rest in Peace.”
Medina signed with Seattle as an amateur free agent from Venezuela in 2005 and moved to the United States to play with the AquaSox for the 2010 season.
He was then called up to the Major Leagues in the middle of the 2013 season, and spent the next three seasons with the Seattle Mariners, posting a 2.82 ERA in 141 relief appearances. He totaled 140 strikeouts in 137 innings with Seattle.
On October 31st, the Mariners released a statement on social media saying, “We are saddened to hear of the passing of former Mariners pitcher Yoavis Medina.” “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
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Medina was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2015, pitching in five games and posting a 7.00 ERA.
His last stint with a team was with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016. After appearing in three games, he was released from his minor league contract.
Most recently, Medina played professional baseball with Italy’s Tecnograniti Senago in 2023 and played several years as a pitcher in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
